Unlikely Queen (Crystal Castle 1)

Tatiana is surrounded by angels, her hands tied behind her back. She, too, must have put up some form of fight, and this is the consequence. They all turn and watch us approach, the defeated look on my sister’s face concerning. She is in the dark just like me, having no idea why our family is being targeted, only that we were separated, and that is never a good thing. Our magic is stronger when we are together. A secret we never share with outsiders.

“What took so long, Bronik?” the one who stands behind my sister asks impatiently.

“We’re ready now,” the one I now know as Bronik responds, dismissing the question. He then looks from me to my sister before asking, “Do I need to restrain you like her?”

“No, but I want to walk with my sister.” I move to leave his side, but his hand juts out to take mine, pulling me back to him. There is a zap on contact, leaving his left arm trembling in the aftershock. Again, just like earlier, he frowns, confused over the reaction my body gives to his. When the angel’s eyes flick from me to the group and back again, cautious whether they had seen anything, he simply nods and lets me go.

Why he is protecting me? I don’t know.

Why he feels the need to keep quiet about something he knows isn’t right has me questioning whether he truly is one of the angels I need to fear. When in reality, they all need to be feared.

Joining Tatiana, I meet her scolding gaze. “I told you to run,” she seethes quietly, determined to have none of the angels overhear.

“I did! He appeared out of nowhere.”

She looks at Bronik with curiosity. “Did you hurt him?”

“Not as much as I wanted to.”

“He looks a little miffed. What did you say?”

“Nothing! I pushed him. Hard. He wants to know why I’m so strong.”

I hear her swallow. I understand her fear. The angels have never had a rival who could match their strength before. If I am found out, I’m as good as dead.

Navigating through the ward, five glorious angels and two witches, one of them restrained, is causing quite the stir. Neighbors are watching from their porches as we make our procession through the streets. As soon as we hit the quadrant, everyone will be talking. I only hope the werewolf shifters come to our rescue.

Chapter Four

Their heavy footsteps crunch noisily on the ground as they march us through the ward. We walk along the border shared with the werewolves, and I pray they see what is happening to us and intervene. It’s still early enough that the border wards are down for shopping. They are our only hope, but something tells me this is a war we will have to fight on our own.

Under her breath, Tatiana whispers a protection spell. It will only do us well for the journey, as once we reach the castle, the spell will simply dissolve into thin air.

“Stop it,” I snap a little too harshly. “It will be of no use once we cross the threshold.” She hears me but is adamant and continues her chant.

Bronik looks over his shoulder at us, his brow raised in question. His impenetrable gaze locks to mine, and in defiance, I stare back. I hide the involuntary shiver his presence forces upon my body until he finally turns away without saying a word.

Tatiana completes her chant, and a sky-blue orb surrounds us. The angels don’t react because they can’t see it—only the witches can. The queen, also a witch, lives in the enchanted castle that will shield her from any danger, including us and our spell.

Upon entering the quad, my sister grips my hand through bound hands, holding it tightly.

Those mingling throughout the markets stop and stare, their curiosity overcoming their typical fear of the angels. We are a low-key family, but after this, there is no doubt that we will quickly become the talk of town.

The castle looms ahead, and due to the scrutinous stares, I am almost happy to arrive. Tatiana, being the same age as the queen, grew up with her. She was known as Veronica back then. They were neighbors for many years and taught each other spells and incantations. They crushed on the same boys and grew competitive as they got older. And then, without warning, Veronica’s abilities increased tenfold, and virtually overnight, she became Queen of Cardia and other realms. She suddenly possessed abilities other witches, including Tatiana, simply could not match. Which was surprising considering Tatiana had always been better at her craft than Veronica growing up.

The castle, set halfway up the hill, which has taken us half a day to get to, is old, its previous owners being the vampires. Its Baroque theme is dark and heavy, the snarling, long-taloned gargoyles poised on top giving the exterior an intimidating air. It suited the vampires, but it is certainly no home for a witch. Not a good one, anyway.